Entries tagged with productivity - Channel 10

Taglocity Brings New Features To Outlook

sarahintampa — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:58:00 GMT

Do you live in Outlook but wish it had a few of the features that your webmail program has? Features like conversation threading and automatic tagging, for example? Well now the Outlook email plugin, Taglocity, delivers those features and more. With the latest version, Taglocity 2.0, Outlook users can take advantage of enhanced search functionality, conversation threading, tagging, and automation. Instead of moving messages to folders, email can be tagged with any number of labels and, based on those labels, certain tasks and actions can then be automated. For example, Taglocity can automatically turn email into calendar appointments or move messages into different folders.

Although some of the functions in Taglocity can already be done with crafty use of Outlook’s rules and views - not to mention Outlook 2007’s labels -the plugin aims to make that process easier. This is especially true for the conversation threading feature which displays emails in chronological order with all the related conversations grouped together. Some Outlook 2007 users won’t see the need for this addition, but for users of Outlook 2003, this plugin delivers some great additional features. You can check it out for yourself here.

Microsoft Word Productivity Tips

sarahintampa — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:46:00 GMT

I love little productivity tips that help me do things faster and more efficiently, so I really enjoyed this blog post over at Web Worker Daily. Samuel gathered some of his favorite keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Word, like Ctrl+Shift+C to copy and Ctrl+Shift+V to paste formatting and Ctrl + Shift to select all text between the current location of your cursor and the end of the current paragraph.

His list was short and sweet, but it was no match for the super massive list of all shortcuts for Word 2002, Word 2003, and Word 2007 found here. Wow, you really don't even need a mouse, do you?

Getting a List of Filenames in Vista is Easy!

sarahintampa — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:30:00 GMT

Remember what a challenge it was to generate a list of filenames of all the files in a folder on your PC? In XP, you had to go to the command prompt and type in something like DIR /B /ON *.* > filelist.txt. (That command sorts them in order). In Vista, it's so much easier. Now, all you have to do is select the files, right-click, and choose "Copy as Path." Paste the list anywhere. Of course, this does copy the entire path to the file, but Find-and-Replace can quickly take care of that. It's the little things like this that really make my day. (Thanks to AppScout for reminding me of this!)

Vista Keyboard Shortcuts

Larry — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:52:00 GMT

I'd play keyboard shortcut Jeopordy with anybody. As a long time shortcut user, I can get by without a mouse - dropdowns, checkboxes, tabs - no problem. Of course, I got to this point by working on computers with problems (and usually no working mouse).

Then Channel 8's Max Zuckerman came into my office and minimized everything to desktop simply by laying hands on my keyboard. Turns out what Max was doing was hitting Windows+3 on my keyboard, which launches the third item in your Quick Launch bar (just to the right of the start button), in this case - Show Desktop.

I realized I have shortcuts to learn yet, and set out to find all of them. There are two sites you should spend time with if you want to be a shortcut power user. The first is this shortcut list at ItsVista.com, the second is this Windows Help site. Knowing these can save you a lot of time in the course of a day, especially if you're out of batteries with your cordless mouse.

Belkin 3-outlet + 2-USB adaptor

Larry — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 05:10:00 GMT

I've spent the last two weeks in hotel rooms and continually juggled between lamp, clock, laptop, phone, and MP3 player(s) in the power outlet that was available. Then there is the ruthless power outlet jockeying that goes on in airports... Well, Belkin has a great solution for this in a three outlet power adaptor that has two built-in USB chargers on the side. It features a 360-degree rotating plug with a surge protector. Well worth the money at $24.99.
(via Uncrate)

PCWorld's 7 Office Optimizers

sarahintampa — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:50:00 GMT

As part of a PCWorld article entitled, "50 Add-Ins and Utilities That Can Improve Your PC Experience," there was a section on Office optimizers that I thought was really useful. The list included some great extras and tricks to do more with Office. Here are some highlights:

Open Office 2007 files with older office versions via the Office Compatibility Pack
Use CenoPDF to build PDFs without ever having to leave Word, PowerPoint, or Excel.
Become a meeting power user with MeetingSense, which provides an extensive dashboard for meetings, agendas, creating minutes, etc.
Organize your data with ClearContext (See? I told you so!)

For the full list, check out the article at PCWorld.

Track FedEx in Outlook

sarahintampa — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 11:57:00 GMT

FedEx has released an application's called FedEx QuickShip, which allows you to easily create and track U.S. shipments, get rates, schedule pickups, and find the nearest staffed FedEx location – all without leaving Outlook! The app installs a FedEx QuickShip toolbar along the top of your Office Outlook window. The toolbar has eight buttons: FedEx, Ship, Track, Rate, Pickup, Find Locations, View History and Edit Settings. QuickShip also lets you right-click on a contact and select "ship" on the menu that appears. Other features include logging, tracking, and email notifications. You can get more details on the Beyond IT blog.

Supercharge Windows Explorer

sarahintampa — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 23:21:00 GMT

DMEXBar is an add-on to Windows Explorer that lets you add extra features to Explorer. When you install DMEXBar, it adds a new toolbar to Explorer with features like the following: Arrange explorer windows side by side, rename multiple files at once, quick change to favorite folders, quick create directory, split files, calculate directory size, and more. One of the program's best features is the new button it adds that lets you quickly open up another instance of Windows Explorer right next to your current window. You can also add buttons that make it easier to launch a command prompt, copy or paste files, or mark them as favorites. DMEXBar works with Windows 2000 and XP. (via Download Squad)

Tabbed Browsing in Windows Explorer

sarahintampa — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 08:28:00 GMT

QTTabBar is Windows Explorer add-on that allows you to navigate files and folders in a tabbed browser, just like you do in IE7. The program, written in C#, works on any Windows XP or Vista (32-bit) machine with .NET 2.0+ installed. To get started, download the latest version and install the program. Reboot and logon to Windows again. Open a folder in Explorer and right-click on the toolbar. Check 'QT TabBar'. That's it! There's also a desktop toolbar available which you can access by right-clicking on the Task Bar and checking 'QT Tab Desktop Tool' in the 'Toolbar' menu. This is so convenient, I can't believe I hadn't heard of it before now!

Rocker Mouse App

sarahintampa — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 04:37:00 GMT

From the programmers at Lifehacker, Rocker is cool utility that lets you perform common computing tasks just by rocking your fingers across you mouse. For example, you could go forward and backward in Internet Explorer just by "rocking" across the mouse. Rocker actually requires that you hold one mouse button down while you click the other in a rocking motion. You can rock right to left or left to right and each direction gives you a different results. It's kind of weird at first, but those that get used to it say it's more natural to them that the usual clicking and double-clicking.

21 OneNote Power Toys

sarahintampa — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 04:33:00 GMT

Wow! When I saw this list over on John Guin's OneNote blog, I was amazed! I had no idea that there were so many addins for OneNote. He was even so kind as to break them down by function. I'd like to send out a big thank you for putting this together and really broadening my world. (OneNote to replace Outlook stickies - #7 - genius!)

Migrating to OneNote:

1. Journal import http://blogs.msdn.com/johnguin/archive/2007/12/21/journal-to-onenote-importer.aspx

2. Text File Importer: http://blogs.msdn.com/johnguin/archive/2007/04/30/customer-feedback-results-in-another-powertoy.aspx

3. Export Outlook Notes to OneNote: http://blogs.msdn.com/descapa/archive/2007/02/14/export-your-outlook-notes-to-onenote.aspx

4. Import books from Project Gutenberg: http://blogs.msdn.com/johnguin/archive/2007/05/31/a-tool-to-import-texts-from-project-gutenberg.aspx

Outlook Addins:

5. Outlook Email to OneNote: http://blogs.msdn.com/descapa/archive/2007/02/06/powertoy-outlook-to-onenote-addin.aspx

6. Task Request http://blogs.msdn.com/johnguin/archive/2007/12/11/task-requests-from-onenote-meeting-notes-powertoy.aspx

7. Use OneNote instead of Outlook Notes: http://blogs.msdn.com/johnguin/archive/2007/04/16/4-16.aspx

Working with data on page:

8. Audio Fine Tuner http://blogs.msdn.com/johnguin/archive/2007/12/12/media-fine-tuner-powertoy-for-onenote.aspx

9. Table sums http://blogs.msdn.com/johnguin/archive/2007/12/10/table-sum-powertoy-for-onenote.aspx

10. Image Rotator http://blogs.msdn.com/johnguin/archive/2007/12/14/image-rotator-powertoy-for-onenote-2007.aspx

11. Printout Manager: http://blogs.msdn.com/johnguin/archive/2007/09/19/an-addin-to-manage-printouts-to-onenote.aspx

12. Word Count: http://blogs.msdn.com/descapa/archive/2007/02/14/onenote-2007-word-count.aspx

Working with Pages:

13. Make a Page a Subpage: http://blogs.msdn.com/johnguin/archive/2007/09/07/make-subpage-addin-updated-and-a-lenovo-update.aspx

14. Merge Pages: http://blogs.msdn.com/johnguin/archive/2007/08/16/merge-pages-in-onenote-powertoy.aspx

15. Copy to Mobile Device: http://blogs.msdn.com/johnguin/archive/2007/06/11/making-pages-easier-to-sync-with-a-mobile-device.aspx

Notebook level addins:

16. Privatizer http://blogs.msdn.com/johnguin/archive/2007/12/15/notebook-cleaner-and-privatizer-powertoy.aspx

17. Template Maker http://blogs.msdn.com/johnguin/archive/2007/12/13/template-manager-powertoy-for-onenote-2007.aspx

18. OneNote Favorites: http://blogs.msdn.com/johnguin/archive/2007/07/19/favorites-for-onenote.aspx

19. Table of Contents: http://blogs.msdn.com/johnguin/archive/2007/07/12/award-winning-powertoy.aspx

Shared source addins:

20. The Shared Source OM: http://www.codeplex.com/onom (Donovan Lange and Jachym Kouba get ALL the credit for this one!)

21. CRM for OneNote: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb872378.aspx & http://www.codeplex.com/crmsnap/Release/ProjectReleases.aspx?ReleaseId=7804

ActiveWords for Windows

sarahintampa — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 18:44:00 GMT

ActiveWords is a user interface technology for Windows that turns the words you type into actions. For example, if you want to launch Microsoft Excel, you could just type "excel" and hit the default launch button of F8; if you wanted to view the weather forecast, you could just type "weather" and have your favorite weather web page launch. In this way, ActiveWords reminds me of how I use Vista's built-in search feature. I hit the windows button then type what I want to launch. I've become accustomed to launching my favorite programs this way - msword for Microsoft Word, mspaint for Paint (I still use this for screenshots!), mstsc for Remote Desktop, cmd for Command Prompt, etc. But ActiveWords adds on to this ability by allowing you to custom these commands and create your own. For example, you could create an ActiveWord "10" to launch this site!

However, ActiveWords does even more than launching programs - it also can auto-correct your misspellings as you type. Now, your custom dictionary can be available throughout all the applications you use, not just in one program or another.

If you're into efficiency/lifehacks, you should check out ActiveWords. It's not freeware, but you can try it free for 60 days, which is long enough for you to decide whether or not it's right for you.

Anagram for Outlook

sarahintampa — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 08:30:00 GMT

Anagram is a great tool for automatically converting selected text into Outlook contacts, to-do's, or calendar appointments. Instead of having to manually type in the information in someone's email signature, you can just press F12 and Anagram will create an Outlook contact form, which you can then review, add notes to, correct (if necessary), then hit "Save and Close." What a timesaver! You can instantly create Outlook contacts from any text on your screen - not just email signatures. For example, if you're online and find a company's "contact us" page and want to add that info to your contacts, you could do so using the same process. Anagram can also be used to add appointments to your calendar. This will work even if you the text selected is in natural language, saying something along the lines of "10 tomorrow for half an hour," for example. You can even use Anagram to create an Outlook note of any general text you want. More examples of how you can use the software are available on the Anagram homepage. (Via Brian Desmond's blog)

Activity and Time-Tracking Solutions

sarahintampa — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 14:54:00 GMT

Need to track your daily activity, track time for clients, or other tasks? There are several options for you to choose from without having to shell out big bucks for a premium software program. Whether you want a simple gadget, a web app, or a full desktop program, there is something for everyone here:

Toggl is a free application that lets you track time, organize timeslips by clients, tasks, and participants, and offers a reporting feature. To use this program, you list a client, a task, then "toggle" a switch icon to begin tracking time.
The Activity Tracker sidebar gadget: With this little punchclock, you can graph and log a timesheet of all of your activities. Punch-in to begin and punch-out when finished. The gadget can even alert you if you forget to punch out.
MyHours is a professional solution that is currently being offered for free. The service, at myHours.com is a robust time management, timesheet, time tracking solution. It lets you to track your work time, projects you work on and tasks you perform. Even better, myHours has a mobile component that lets you do basic time tracking through mobile devices like mobile phones and PDAs.
Easy Time Tracking: with this downloadable application, you can not only track billable and non-billable hours, you can also track expenses, create invoices, create reports, and manage customers, projects, and tasks.
SlimTimer: Another web 2.0 app, SlimTimer lets you create tasks and share them with others. You can then run reports not only on your tasks, but also those that belong to your coworkers and/or reportees. Reports can be exported to .CSV, subscribed to via RSS, or emailed.
88Miles is a web app that offers real time, on screen timers, time budgets, project & shift tagging, itemized timesheets, and an API you can integrate into your own app or desktop widget. A mobile edition lets you punch in and out from your mobile phone or PDA. The trial is free, but then you need to sign up for a pricing plan. However, the freelancer (single user) plan is only $5/month.
WR Time Tracker is an open source, web-based time tracking solution that lets you create user logins & organize them into teams. You can then create and modify projects and activities, input your work time, and generate reports and invoices and email them to others.
Basecamp is a well-known project management web app, but the free edition only offers one project and 2 writeboards. However, the site offers robust tools like to-do lists, file sharing, time tracking, and milestone scheduling, so if you're willing to pay a bit, you have a lot of features at your disposal.
Tick is a time-tracking application with features like project tracking with RSS, desktop widgets, and reporting and exporting. A free version for moonlighters is available and for $9/month; also, a freelancer version is available which comes with 3 open projects, as opposed to the one you can have with the free edition. Prices for premium versions start at $19/month.
ClockingIT is a 100% free, hosted application that offers time tracking & reports, milestones & due dates, tagging & search, a timeline & activity log, notifications, RSS & iCal, no restrictions or limits, and an integrated wiki.
Time Tracker v2.0 is a simple, free time-tracking tool. You can stop & start tasks and categorize them, but this no-frills tool doesn't offer much more than that.
TimeCard Excel Template: Don't forget you might already have a simple time-tracking tool at your disposal. The Excel 2003 Timecard template helps you track your time, too. It displays the days of the week, and automatically breaks out the hours you enter as daily, total, and total overtime hours, so you don't have to.

There are even more premium programs available, but these listed are either free or very low-cost. Did I miss one of your favorites? Let me know!

Little-Known Outlook Feature

sarahintampa — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 22:48:00 GMT

I use Outlook every day, yet I never knew this: if you hold down [Ctrl], and then right-click on the Outlook tray icon, with Outlook 2007, "Connection Status" and "Test E-mail AutoConfiguration" appear. E-mail AutoConfiguration testing is handy for Exchange 2007 setups and this tip can be helpful when troubleshooting RPC over HTTP. Big thanks to Aaron Tiensivu for teaching me something new today! How many of you knew this one?

Command Line Tips for Non-Geeks

sarahintampa — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 18:57:00 GMT

The command line doesn't have to be the sole domain of uber-geeks. With a little know-how, anyone can use the command line to perform simple tasks on their computer. Below is a short list of command line tips that I've found useful in the past. These steps are easy to follow and you don't have to be a computer nerd to use them. The commands I've listed work on Windows XP or Windows Vista. To use the command line, just go to Start --> Run, and the type in "cmd" (without the quotes) and hit "Enter" on your keyboard. On Vista, you can just type "cmd" (again, without the quotes) and "Enter" from the Search box on the Start Menu. Vista will know what you mean.

1. Driver List - Get a list of your drivers and export it to Excel. Your file will show up in (Users\YourUsername).

driverquery /FO csv /v > text.csv

2. File Listing - Get a list of your files within a particular folder (in the example, I'm doing my Documents folder) and export it to a text file. (Note: Replace "Sarah" with your username) -

(Windows Vista) dir c:\users\Sarah\Documents>docs.txt

(Windows XP) dir c:\Documents and Settings\Sarah\My Documents>docs.txt

3. Remote into another computer via Remote Desktop - You can actually launch this one straight from the "Run" box, no command line needed:

mstsc

4. Shutdown & Reboot a Computer - This one is especially useful when remoted into another machine (thanks to #3) and in need of the "Shutdown" button. The "01" on the end is how long before the computer shuts down. I like it to go fast, hence the 1 second until reboot!

shutdown -f -r -t: 01

5. System Info - Displays detailed configuration information about a computer, including operating system configuration, security information, product ID, and hardware properties, such as RAM, disk space, and network cards. Also lists the hotfixes you have installed.

systeminfo

6. Now make it pretty! The color command lets you change the command window's background and/or font a different color. The command is color [F][B], where F is the foreground and B is the background. If you only enter in one character after the word color, then you'll just change the font color. Here's a list of the colors and their corresponding number or letter. And here's an example of how to make your font light purple:

color D

Take Your Work Calendar Home

sarahintampa — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 19:29:00 GMT

If you're using Outlook 2007 at work, there are a couple of ways you can view your calendar from home without having to sign into your company VPN or work computer. One way is to export your calendar to a file and the second way is to make your calendar viewable online. Both methods are easy to set up and use.

Method #1: Export Your Calendar to an ICS File

Outlook 2007 supports the ICS (iCalendar data exchange) format which is the standard calendar format. ICS lets you exchange calendar information between different calendar programs and applications, like Windows Live Calendar and most other internet calendaring programs. To export to an ICS file from Outlook, follow these steps:

1. In Outlook 2007, click on the Calendar button.
2. Go to the File menu, click "Save as," then "More options."
4. In the Date range list, select a date range.
5. In the Detail list, select the level of detail that you want in the exported calendar:
* Availability only: Only your "busy," "free," "tentative," or "out of office" status information is exported.
* Limited details: Only your availability and the subjects of calendar items are exported.
* Full details: Full details and availability of the calendar items are exported.
6. Under "Advanced," click "Show."
7. If selected, clear the "Include attachments within calendar items" checkbox. Windows Live Calendar Beta does not support attachments to calendar events.
8. Click "OK," and then click "Save."

Method #2: Publish Your Calendar to the Web

Another option is to publish your Outlook calendar to the web, so anyone with an internet connection can view it. To do this, follow the steps below:

1. In Outlook 2007, click on the Calendar button.
2. Click on the "Publish My Calendar" link on the left side and a wizard will walk you through the publishing process.
3. You'll need to sign in with your Windows Live ID, specify the calendar's time span, and the permissions of who can view it.
4. Click "OK" to publish it online and click "Yes" if you also want to send out email invitations to view it.
5. To see your Outlook 2007 Calendar online, sign into Office Online with your Windows Live ID (click the link on the top right to sign into "My Office Online").

Get Your Facebook Calendar in Outlook

sarahintampa — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 21:37:00 GMT

Are you a Facebook user who also uses Microsoft Outlook? Have you ever wished that you could have your Outlook calendar update from your Facebook events and birthday lists? Now, you can! With fbCal, you'll be able to remember you Facebook friends' birthdays and all the events you've been invited to. In under a minute, you'll have a Facebook calendar you can subscribe to in Outlook or a downloadable copy you can import into Outlook. fbCal will actually generate two different types of calendars - one for birthdays and one for events - and each is available as a subscription or a download. Subscription calendars get updated whenever you refresh your calendar after there was a change in your Facebook friends or events. Download calendars are only accurate up to when you last downloaded the calendar. All the calendars made by fbCal are iCalendar (.ics) format.

To Subscribe to an fbCal Facebook Calendar in Outlook:

1. Click the link for the Internet Calendar Subscription.
2. You might be prompted to acknowledge that you are opening a hyperlink. You should click Yes only if you know and trust the validity of the linked calendar.
3. At the prompt, Add this Internet Calendar to Outlook and subscribe to updates, click Yes.

Outlook Gadgets

sarahintampa — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 19:25:00 GMT

I've recently discovered several handy Outlook sidebar gadgets that can help me stay up-to-date with the flood of incoming messages in my Outlook inbox. If you saw my other Outlook post, you'll know that I'm a big fan of the ClearContext add-in for Microsoft Outook, so when I saw this ClearContext gadget, I had to get it. The ClearContext Inbox Alert Gadget is a fast way to preview your Outlook email. Using priority color-coding and message sorting & filtering, the gadget gives you an "heads-up" view of your busy inbox. The gadget is a free download, and you don't have to use ClearContext to benefit from it. Combine that with two other great Outlook gadgets - Outlook Appointments and Outlook Tasks - and you can easily keep an eye on your inbox, without obsessively checking your email and calendar throughout the day.

SyncToy v2.0 Beta

sarahintampa — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 21:04:00 GMT

If you need to keep storage locations on multiple PCs exactly in sync on your network, you should check out the SyncToy PowerToy for Windows. SyncToy is an easy-to-use, customizable program that helps you copy, move, rename, and delete files between computers. With SyncToy, you can manage multiple sets of folders at the same time, while keeping track of all the renames and carrying those changes over to the synced folder. Recently, an update SyncToy was released, which brings us SyncToy v2.0 Beta. In this new version, lots of features were introduced, including dynamic drive letter assignment, exclusion filtering based on name or file attributes, command line enhancements, syncing of encrypted files, 64-bit compatibility, and much more. To find out more about this excellent PowerToy, visit this page on the Microsoft Professional Photography website. You can download SyncToy here.

Confessions of a Desktop Neat Freak

Larry — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 17:49:00 GMT

This weekend a friend came over and marveled at how clean my desktop is compared to their own which was filled with icons, install files, web shortcuts, and files. I have a confession to make, my desktop isn’t nearly as tranquil as it looks. Here’s how you clean up that mess without actually having to do any of the work that comes with sorting and organizing those files, basically this is a digital way of sweeping them under a rug.

First, right click on your desktop and select View and uncheck “Show Desktop Icons”. Next, right click on your taskbar and choose “Toolbars”, then “New Toolbar”. On the dialog that pops up, just scroll up to the top of the tree and choose your desktop. Now you’ll have a link on your taskbar that works kind of like a right hand Start Menu, showing you all of the things on your Desktop. You can still drag things to your desktop, but you’ll only see them when clicking this new toolbar. Folders on your desktop branch out from this list, similar to how the Start Menu operates.

When it comes time to sort/organize/delete/rename the things that are on my desktop, I just hit Windows Key + E to open up Windows Explorer, and scroll up to “Desktop” at the top of the folder tree.

Export Facebook to Excel with FriendCSV

Larry — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 08:53:00 GMT

If you're a Facebook fan, don't miss this page on TechCrunch. FriendCSV is a way to export the information from your friends list in Facebook to a comma-separated values file that can then be opened in Excel. Once you log into Facebook and fill in your email address, FriendCSV will scrape the data you've selected and mail it to you (keep in mind it violates the Facebook TOS if it is stored for more than 24 hours.) Available fields; uid, name, sex, birthday, about me, current location, hometown, profile link, picture link, high school, education, work, and affiliations.

Another interesting Facebook app mentioned in the comments, called Fonebook, will export your Facebook friends list to Contacts in Outlook 2003 or 2007. Then when you sync your phone to your computer, it also syncs your Facebook friends to your mobile phone.

Email Management With SimplyFile

sarahintampa — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 16:50:00 GMT

From the same company that is also feeding my Twitter addiction, comes another useful application for Microsoft Outlook. SimplyFile is a utility that helps you file your emails more efficiently. As you quickly move your email messages from your inbox to your Outlook folders, SimplyFile's unique folder prediction technology provides constantly improving and surprisingly accurate recommendations regarding which folder your email messages should be moved to.

After "training" the program for a short period of time, you will soon be filing messages with one click. Another great feature of the program is the ability to also turn messages into tasks and appointments with one click of a mouse. To test SimplyFile for yourself, you can take advantage of their free 30 day trial download. Afterwards, if you choose to purchase it, the cost to purchase the program is only $39.95. (via Somewhat Frank)

Zamzar online file conversion

Larry — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 20:34:00 GMT

How many times has this happened, you've got file type A and you need it to be file type B? You could open an authoring program and try to save the file into the other format, but there's an easier way.

Zamzar is a free online file conversion service that will let you upload a file (up to 100MB) and convert it to a multitude of other file types quickly and easily. The conversion chart is listed here, with an impressive number of file types spanning documents, images, audio and video. A new feature even lets you plug in an online video and download it as the file type of your choice.

Extending your laptop - Pt. II

Larry — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 19:53:00 GMT

Earlier this week I wrote about a couple ExpressCards that can extend the horsepower on your laptop. But what if you don't have an ExpressCard slot? Or what if your new laptop has an ExpressCard slot but you still have a lot of money tied up in older PCMCIA cards from your previous laptop? What you may need is one of the adaptors from Duel Systems.

New cards, old slots
The DuelAdapter Cradle is a $50 device that converts the new ExpressCard modules to a PCMCIA compatible format. Keep in mind that PC Card (PCMCIA) transfer speeds rate at 33 MB/s, 66 MB/s, and 132 MB/s, depending on the devices used, so you probably wouldn't get good results using the external PCI-E video card through this PC Card adapter.

Old cards, new slots
The DuelAdapter ($120) is the reverse of the card above. It allows you to use your old PCMCIA cards in the newer ExpressCard slot on your laptop. Of course it won't actually fit in the slot, so you'll have the device hanging out of the side of your computer, but that's better than having to go out and replace your perfectly good cards.
The other